Is ED on life support? A terminal decline?

[-VR- Max Factor]

It's a good point, well made. Not necessarily one I agree with, but a concern I share.

I'm not overly bothered with player numbers, they come & go, but I am concerned about the quality & rate of updates, new features & in particular bug fixes.

There seems to be little remaining evidence of an overall plan, a big picture that ties all these disparate features together, just a bunch of stuff plonked in to try to satisfy various sections of the playerbase.

I'm happy with the game, I got the game I wanted in 1.0, and although it's drifted a bit from that original coherent concept, basically I can still mostly play the game I wanted for all those years.

My particular gripe is with the second round for the LEP. I paid a bunch of extra money for expansions & content yet to come, and with the single exception of Zac's recent post on premium content, there is no information on what's coming, if anything, after 'Beyond'.

Disappointing.


However I can still play, and one day I won't be able to, so make hay while the sun shines

I'm sure we will find out what is beyond beyond if they do another expo. No point I telling everyone now as nobody would go. I also suspect that is the time we will find out about the premium content too.

 

[StarfireIX]

2.4: The Return (Alternative Changes & Improvements)

We shall never know the player numbers or the coin Frontier has made from the game but I have a distinct impression that things aint going so well.

Ordinarily much of the discorse over ED has been players verhmently defending their own position. There seems to be a fairly reasonable view going around that the game is stalling, that FD have moved on, and the game is on maintenance mode. Hard to say otherwise coz despite so many people who are apprently working on the game the output doesnt seem to be comensurate with that.

Of course you know, you pull in Obsidian Ant, stage a lot of devs hard at work invite him to look around, and one gullable youtuber, whose made a revenune of being 'impartial' about the game reports back on how wonderful things might be..

Some time back I distinctly remember BrettC saying that we would know when the game wasnt doing so well because the quality of the updates of the game would go down..

Call me out on this commanders but all I'm seeing is a steady decline.. A brief check on steam (oh and I know there are some who dont use steam) says that there is a certain writing on the wall.

Upper management however has cashed in..

Tell me I am wrong.

Seems that way. The time it takes to publish a GalNet article is 1-2 weeks, which Drew has already pointed out endlessly that there is currently a lack of lore. Community Goal submissions are closed, due to their focus on the "Thargoid narrative".. and yet.. where is it? Of course, someone will be quoting that line with "It's on GalNet" or "In the Pleiades, LOOK.. A THARGOID! " So ask me this.. why did they use Community Goals to progress through Aegis stuff? It's barely a "community" thing, more of a narrative progression. They should be separate, and could do something similar to their "personal progression" for 3.0 Beyond but as a "public progression" for their story. Here's what I would've done for 2.4:



2.4: The Return (Alternative)


Narrative:

• Create Panic from several media outlets of the bubble. (Imperial Herald, Federation Press, etc)
• Some crazy stories that are trending across the Galaxy, as done in Frontier: First Encounters. (Open this to the public so we can submit crazy stories, too!)
• Hint possible discoveries on GalNet, create scenes of investigations, and have clues connect to each-other like the Pirate Lord Luca discovery.
• Possible discoveries and "the real truth" of what's happening would be published as Heralds around stations in the Pleiades.
• Aegis promises things they cannot hold for long. This includes keeping the Pleiades AND the bubble safe from the Thargoids.
• Develop some conspiracies! Have Black Flight or agents from Aegis randomly interdict CMDRs while reports flood on GalNet.
• Have civilization begin to question Aegis' actions and whether they may be inheriting INRA traits or otherwise.

The Content:

• GalMap PowerPlay-like filter to view areas of Thargoid activity. GalCop did this before when tracking Thargoid movement.
• Create a hidden campaign when gaining rep with Aegis. When an AX weapon is released, have it so the CMDR must complete a difficult mission to be rewarded with the weapon.
• Community Goals for Aegis is creating fatigue. Try the above or something new to entertain them. Even if it may take a while, an announcement will certainly prevent much of the complaining of how quiet the update is.
• Introduce in-game characters. Not your usual wallpaper like Aisling Duval and Grandmother Torval, but NPCs like Salome. They must not be perma-death unless the asset has done it's part or you want the fate decided by the player. The characters will be flying around the Pleiades, and they are willing to give out info if the player earns it's trust. They cannot be added to the friends list unless direct contact is made.
• The more you help Aegis or similar, the more covert missions you can do that may end up being risky such as hyperspace or Thargoid contact. More powerful variants or types may be rarely seen when doing such missions.
• In regards to CGs for Engineer AX weapons, have unique missions sent out to CMDRs like the Palin mission to help a hidden progression for the Engineer. Each CG-like event goes for 1 week, and once done Aegis may send out a new progression mission for you to unlock it.
• If you attack a Thargoid, create a random event that may trigger more Thargoids to arrive. Create a sense of fear and danger when approaching these things.
• Conflict Zones around the Pleiades could and can be interrupted by Thargoids which will inflict sudden panic by NPCs, resulting in full retreats on both sides. This should apply to NAV beacons and also Resource Extraction Sites.

Media:

• Extend on the cinematic you have for the launch of 2.4. Create a climax cinematic and the outro. The climax may be the scene where Pleiades/bubble is overrun, and the outro may be a transmission by the Thargoid Queen. You got this!
• Lore streams! Create a series of streams that involve the streamer from FDev to find important discoveries/events that will explode on GalNet and anywhere. This may also involve some new or old history of Guardians, GalCop and Thargoids.
• Release difficult puzzles to solve for the community which may unravel more important discoveries.
• Create an all new broadcasting company in Elite: Dangerous... GalNews! EvE has already done this with theirs as seen here
  
  .

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Tell me I am wrong.

You're wrong... but i don't think you actually want to be told that. I think you want to hear people confirm your point of view. Isn't that what these weekly "ED is dying/dead/doomed" threads are for?

Perhaps it would be for the best if we all told you "Yes, the game is dead"

Dismissive comments like this...

When the same people keep making the same threads over and over again, its no surprising some of us become dismissive. People have been making these threads since day 1. I mean, theoretically, if they keep it up, then one day they will be right! Then they can say "Look! I told everyone it was dying!" Might take another 5-10 years yet though before their predictions come true. Who knows, by theat time maybe Star Citizen will be released, then they can move onto claiming that SC is dying!

 

[CMDR Crumpeteer]

Dismissive comments like this...

I just pointed out what actually happened. If you really think this forum needs yet another of these doom and gloom threads, I can't help but feel sorry for you.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

But what do those charts have to do with Elite the game? Don't think anyone is discussing the death of FDev. Fact is FDev have said they're looking at two new franchises for their next efforts = two new franchises is what they will spend their cash on. They have said nothing on spending any more cash on Elite other than Beyond which is effectively a year of maintenance releases.

It is correct to assume this game may not develop much more than what it is today based on the available facts. You can call it doom if you like but if you're happy with the current game that wouldn't seem appropriate.

And there is the new paid for content coming. The other projects will have different teams, the same way that PC had a different team to ED.

 

[StarfireIX]

You're wrong... but i don't think you actually want to be told that. I think you want to hear people confirm your point of view. Isn't that what these weekly "ED is dying/dead/doomed" threads are for?

Perhaps it would be for the best if we all told you "Yes, the game is dead"

Common sense usually applies when people see obvious issues in the game. Having a large number of threads by different users seem to indicate just that.

 

[M00ka]

Common sense usually applies when people see obvious issues in the game. Having a large number of threads by different users seem to indicate just that.

So what does that same common sense say about all the posts praising the game or are they just dismissed as being white knight fanboi garbage?

 

[Lucifera Danzig]

So what does that same common sense say about all the posts praising the game or are they just dismissed as being white knight fanboi garbage?

Pretty much. That broad brush stroke thing again. There's far more people who like the game, and they're all dismissed as "white knights" flocking to the defense of the game. But if anyone dismisses the very small number who make these doom threads as malcontents with unrealistic expectations who ignore all the very specific things Frontier has already posted in answer to their topics, we're picking on them.

Gets tiresome after a while, doesn't it?

 

[znôrt]

Upper management however has cashed in..

as always.

Tell me I am wrong.

life support no, but relegated to pet project category, for sure. bigger fish to fry. the big horizons hit didn't work out as well as expected, but the thing is still too valuable to drop. meanwhile they do probably make good money in the shop, probably not a great deal but fine considering the investment.

but being a pet project for a while isn't necessarily bad, could actually be a good thing. learning from mistakes would be even better.

 

[Oopsie Daisy]

I just pointed out what actually happened. If you really think this forum needs yet another of these doom and gloom threads, I can't help but feel sorry for you.

I constantly rail against people who can't be bothered to use forum search functions before regaling us with their inane points of view. So no, I don't much care for these sorts of threads over and over again either. The negativity does not bother me in the least, but the lazy nature of OPs who can't be bothered with doing a little searching does irk me a bit.


And then there are the useless dismissive comments which accomplish nothing other than selfishly venting a little frustration with the forum topic which is no one else's problem or care. Don't like the thread topic? Move on. 'Maybe this thread isn't for you'.

 

[StarfireIX]

So what does that same common sense say about all the posts praising the game or are they just dismissed as being white knight fanboi garbage?

Those posts are made by people who have started the game, unlocked various things, or flying around some of the best places seen by CMDRs. They will end up saying the same once they start looking at the lore and thargoid content of 2.4. As Frontier Developments already stated, the update is viewed differently than the rest as it's focused on narrative. The narrative of 2.4 (in regards to GalNet) is in fact slower than previous updates when submitting such lore.

There is, however, a split between those who enjoy gradual content and those who want the content immediately. There needs to be a balance in between this to keep players satisfied while playing the game. Right now, the progression is too slow for both sides.

 

[krylite]

Who knows, by that time maybe Star Citizen will be released, then they can move onto claiming that SC is dying!

Not sure since it seems (imo), ED doom'n'gloomers often apologize for or think the SC side of the "grass is greener". However I could imagine if those threads migrated there they could be "proven right" so fast where a supposed release of SC would likely be DoA! (lol)

 

[M00ka]

(lol) I can just imagine if they move on to making SC threads if it's ever released , they'll be proven right so fast since in that case SC would likely be DoA!

Don't forget that some of the doom and gloomers that are still posting probably started prophesying the demise of ED when it was still in Alpha. I guess if they continue long enough they will be eventually proved right, might be years, even a decade though lol

 

[Lucifera Danzig]

(lol) I can just imagine if they move on to making SC threads if it's ever released , they'll be proven right so fast since in that case SC would likely be DoA!

Even if we stay completely optimistic about Star Citizen...they haven't gotten any farther than they have, let alone as far as Elite has, with 10 times the budget. 168 million and counting. And if 10 times the budget can't get them going any faster (indeed, much slower) than Elite, even on a game that is their flagship product, maybe people need to realize it might not be physically possible to make a game like this as fast as they keep claiming it can be made. Which means maybe FDev isn't being "lazy" or putting it into "maintenance mode" after all.

Just sayin'.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Common sense usually applies when people see obvious issues in the game. Having a large number of threads by different users seem to indicate just that.

Thing is, most people can raise critcisms of the game without declaring the game is dying. Yes, there are flaws in ED. Pick any game, go to their forums, you will see people criticising the game in some way. It doesn't mean those games are dying. Hell, by that yardstick every game is dying (and like with life, we are all dying from the moment we are born... should we spend our whole lives worrying about how we are dying, or enjoy life, and by the same measure, enjoy the games while we can?).

When the same people have been claiming the game is dying since day 1, it makes all subsequent threads rather farcical.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Even if we stay completely optimistic about Star Citizen...they haven't gotten any farther than they have, let alone as far as Elite has, with 10 times the budget. 168 million and counting. And if 10 times the budget can't get them going any faster (indeed, much slower) than Elite, even on a game that is their flagship product, maybe people need to realize it might not be physically possible to make a game like this as fast as they keep claiming it can be made. Which means maybe FDev isn't being "lazy" or putting it into "maintenance mode" after all.

Just sayin'.

Brooke's law.

 

[Lucifera Danzig]

Brooke's law.

Well referenced. In fact, it's such a relevant reference I'ma link it right here for others to look at.

 

[CMDR Crumpeteer]

I constantly rail against people who can't be bothered to use forum search functions before regaling us with their inane points of view. So no, I don't much care for these sorts of threads over and over again either. The negativity does not bother me in the least, but the lazy nature of OPs who can't be bothered with doing a little searching does irk me a bit.


And then there are the useless dismissive comments which accomplish nothing other than selfishly venting a little frustration with the forum topic which is no one else's problem or care. Don't like the thread topic? Move on. 'Maybe this thread isn't for you'.

No. Here's a real example of a "dismissive comment":

Dismissive comments like this...

Regardless of how you chose to interpret my initial comment, I was simply pointing out something I actually read in another thread just yesterday, which I found mildly amusing and worth pointing out. I didn't make it up just for the sake of "dismissing" anything.

Now, you're quite welcome to take your own advice. 'Maybe my posts aren't for you'.

 

[znôrt]

Brooke's law.

is indeed a thing, and probably refers to sc, but extrapolating it to "Which means maybe FDev isn't being "lazy" or putting it into "maintenance mode" after all." is disingenuous at best (i would vote good old fallacy).

just objectively look at the increments in delivery for the last 6 months. with a small team. if you still think frontier has super secret work under the hood waiting for a big reveal, you are being as delusional as most sc backers.

 

[lysan]

So let’s for a moment assume this is true, mekay! If ED now really is dying let it be quick, modders will take over and that is not a bad thing.

However it’s not dying, FD are making money on the game, what happened as what normally happen in companies.
They made a mistake, came up with a plan how to fix it, issued a timeframe to get it done and took some brainy people and locked them up in a small room so they could work on what need to be done.

2018 is fix the mess we created year, however we will see new stuff. I got a good feeling about this, no I’m not playing for the moment as I’m playing other games however ED is my favorite game if it was not I would simply not be on these forums.